The Purple Tiger
by GlitterAndMetal
Summary: For a long time, Yachiru was the only female in the 11th Squad. What happens when the empty 4th seat slot is filled by a woman? What will Kenpachi do? Kenpachi x OC. Possible OOCs.


**This is my second fic. Reviews and constructive criticism welcome :) I would like to improve my writing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo. This story is purely fanmade.**

* * *

**The Purple Tiger**

"Come in" said Kenpachi after the person behind the door knocked for a second time. A short woman with straight, bright-purple hair down to her hips entered his office. "And you are?" asked Kenpachi. "Captain Zaraki, I am Murasaki Notora, the newly recruited 4th seat of the squad." "Oh yeah I heard about you. Yachiru, Ikkaku and Yumichika took care of the recruitment. I was told that it was going to be a woman but I never imagined you'd be so small. I hope they didn't make a mistake. I do not want weaklings in my squad. Come to think of it, I can create a little test for you." He took off his eye-patch and his reiatsu instantly went sky high. He looked at her, expecting to see the look of terror he usually saw when someone realised how insanely vast his full power was. Yet to his surprise, she was smiling. "Interesting, you're not even a bit scared. And what's that smile about?" "Oh nothing," said Notora "I don't want to seem rude on our first meeting." "Tell me. I don't really care about manners and rudeness so just tell me what you're smiling about," he continued while putting his eye-patch back on. "Well, I was thinking that with so much reiatsu, those you fought in the past must have enjoyed one hell of a great fight." "Hmm a woman who actually likes fighting and doesn't do it only as a sense of duty. That's unusual. Anyway you've seen my power. Now release yours," he commanded. Notora took hold of her katana's hilt, closed her eyes and concentrated on releasing her reiatsu which she had been keeping under control all the time. A purple light appeared all around her and for a few seconds it solidified behind her into the shape of a tiger. Notora opened her eyes and let go of her sword as she put her reiatsu back under control. "Amazing power!" laughed Kenpachi "in the future you may even advance even beyond 4th seat. You know, I'd like to see you fight a bit. Usually Ikkaku takes care of the majority of the squad's strategy training but tomorrow morning you will be training with me. Be prepared to fight, cut and be cut. Training will be in the outside training grounds. You're dismissed"

* * *

Notora left the room and soon heard a giggle behind her. "I heard all of that," said Yachiru, leaning against the wall while eating a chocolate bar. "Ken-chan must really like you if he wants to train with you." "Lieutenant Kusajishi, good afternoon." "Call me Yachiru-chan. We're the only girls in the whole squad so we should be friends. I'll be calling you No-No." "Oh ok then, Yachiru-chan. The only girls in the squad, huh. Weren't you ever lonely among all these men?" "Well Ken-chan is great company so when I'm with him it's ok. Sometimes I go to the other squad's barracks to play and I go to the Female Shinigami Association meetings. It's only us girls there so it's always fun. But now with you here it's going to be even more fun!" "Oh yeah, the Female Shinigami Association. I guess now that I'm a seated officer I should start attending the meetings." "Yay it's going to be fun! And we have snacks there as well. Can you cook?" asked Yachiru. "Yeah and I'm particularly good with cakes," replied Notora. "Perfect! At seven we have a meeting today. Do you think you'll be able to make a cake till then?" "I don't know. It's a bit short notice and I don't even know if you have any cake ingredients in the barracks." "Oh don't worry. Our meetings take place at Bya-kun's house. I have all sorts of tunnels there. We can go to the kitchen without being caught. We can make a cake for us and cook something spicy for Bya-kun as thanks for using his kitchen. He doesn't really like sweets but he likes anything spicy." "Bya-kun? Do you mean Captain Kuchiki? I can't possibly infiltrate into his manor and cook there!" "Oh don't worry he won't get angry. I play at his house all the time. Come on let's go. It's this way." "I'm not sure about this but since you're my lieutenant I'm going to follow you. You know, instead of making two completely different recipes I can make two ginger cakes. I know people who do not like sweet things but they always love the ginger cakes I make. I'll make ours with sugar and Captain Kuchiki's with extra ginger and lemon. I hope we find all the ingredients." "We will, we will. The Kuchikis are rich so their kitchens are always well stocked. Now hurry up. We're losing daylight!"

* * *

"Ooh they look so yummy!" exclaimed Yachiru as Notora put the second cake on the table. "What is going on here?" they heard a deep calm voice ask. "Bya-kun's here!" called Yachiru. "This is No-No, our new 4th seat. She is going to come for the Female Shinigami Association meeting so I got her to make a cake for us and one for you since we are using your kitchen." "So Yachiru has another partner in crime," said Byakuya as Notora blushed furiously. "What is your full name?" "Murasaki Notora, sir" "Well, Murasaki-sama, I'm sorry Lieutenant Kusajishi made you go through the trouble of making me a cake but I do not eat sweets." "Um Captain Kuchiki, I'm sorry for our intrusion and the fact that our first meeting had to be so strange. But before we leave you, Lieutenant Yachiru did say that you do not eat sweets but prefer spicy food so I made your cake with extra ginger and lemon and I decreased the amount of sugar. Maybe you will like it but I do not want to seem like I'm making you do anything." "I have to say you're very polite and considerate. If you put it that way, let me try your cake then." "Sure," said Notora as she cut a slice of cake and handed it to Byakuya who slowly bit into the cake. His expression did not change and she could not tell if that was a good or a bad sign. "Murasaki Notora, you have created a dessert I actually like. Would you please give me the recipe?" "Of course Captain Kuchiki, I'll write it right away. It's very simple and quick to make." "Yay! Bya-kun likes cake!" shouted Yachiru. "Here it is," said Notora after a while. "Thank you Murasaki-sama. Now hurry to your meeting. Please send my regards to my sister. I haven't seen her in a while."

* * *

Notora woke up early and disoriented. It took her a moment to realise that she was in the room she was sharing with Yachiru in the 11th squad barracks. There were no rooms available - there were no other females in the squad so there were no sleeping quarters for females. The room was probably the girliest room in the whole of Sereitei. It was decorated according to Yachiru's tastes; painted in shades of pink and purple made it seem as if it was painted to match their hair colours. Not that Notora minded. She was going to need some girl time if she was going to start spending all of her time in an all-male squad. She thought about the previous day. Promotion to 4th seat, meeting Captain Zaraki, cooking with Yachiru in Byakuya's manor…did she really make the 6th squad captain eat one of her cakes? And then there was the Female Shinigami Association meeting which ended up turning into a welcome party of sorts where she and Rangiku ended up drinking most of the sake despite the Nanao's warnings that it was a weeknight. No wonder she was still a bit lightheaded. She remembered that today she was going to train with Kenpachi. 'Prepare to fight, cut and be cut' he said…Notora had a feeling that today may end with a trip to the 4th squad's infirmary.

* * *

"There she is." Notora heard Kenpachi's growling voice behind her and stood up straight from her stretching, her hair tied back into a tight braid for practicality. 'Everyone seems to come up from behind me and I don't realise. I've been letting my guard down too much lately' thought Notora. "NO-NO!" shouted Yachiru from Kenpachi's shoulder, startling Notora. "Good morning Captain, Yachiru-chan" she voiced out loud. "I see you're all warmed up. I'll get my warm-up during the fight. Shall we start? Yachiru, move away," said the captain. "Are you always so energetic early in the morning?" asked Notora, the anticipation of a fight making her forget all her manners. "My my, aren't we talkative today? I'm only energetic when I'm promised a good fight," replied Kenpachi with a grin, "now are you ready?" Notora didn't reply. Instead she unsheathed her Zanpakutō. "I take that as a yes," shouted Kenpachi as he ran and swung his sword down as if to cut Notora in half. However, his sword was blocked easily by Notora's sword even though she hadn't changed her footing. "You're strong for such a little woman, and fast as well," he said as he moved away to deliver another swing. Yet Notora was faster and slashed at her captain's bicep. She used all of her strength but only managed to produce an extremely shallow cut. This was gonna be difficult. Yet as she looked as Kenpachi's face she did not see the look of mocking she expected. Instead he seemed rather pleased and surprised. "You managed to cut me on your first hit? That's unusual. This is gonna be fun. Come at me again!"

* * *

"How long are they going to continue fighting? They've been at it for half an hour! It's a miracle they haven't collapsed from exhaustion, or from blood loss," said Ikkaku. The whole squad had stopped from training to observe the fight between the lithe 5'2" woman and the towering 6'7½" captain. The sight of a woman in the squad was already unusual but seeing one fight on equal terms with Kenpachi had never crossed anyone's mind. The battle was indeed equal. Kenpachi had taken off his eye-patch. Notora was using her Shikai – the base of her sword close to the hilt had turned into a golden paw from which sprung four long black metal claws at the command "Awaken, Felisse!" Notora had lost the sleeves of her kimono and her hair was flying everywhere since her hairbands had snapped open somewhere along the middle of the battle. Kenpachi was fighting shirtless as his kimono was slashed beyond repair so he discarded it. Blood was pouring down both of Notora's arms from the wounds on her shoulders. Kenpachi's torso was equally covered in cuts and his bare arms were slashed a couple of times as well. "It's beautiful to see such a fair and balanced fight," said Yumichika. "Ken-chan's having fun, and so is No-No," added Yachiru.

"Are you giving up?" they heard Kenpachi asking. 'Damn it, he's inexhaustible,' thought Notora, 'I haven't had a fight like this in ages.' "Why should I give up when you look as beat up as me?" she shouted back. They were now pacing in a circle, assessing each other and planning their next moves. Kenpachi looked at the blood covering the ground beneath him; 'Damn I've lost a shitload of blood, she's good. It's fun but I guess I should finish this before the blood loss makes me lose consciousness.' On the opposite side, Notora was thinking something similar 'I'm exhausted and I've started to get dizzy. I've lost most of my blood. I have to finish this in the next attack.' Suddenly the two made eye contact and realised they were thinking the same thing. The air around Notora glowed purple and that around Kenpachi glowed yellow as they ran towards each other. The squad members saw Notora slash at Kenpachi's chest again while he sliced at her side. Blood gushed in every direction. The two fighters looked at each other's madly grinning faces for a few seconds and then they both fell down and hit the ground at the same time, swords clattering beside them. The last thing they heard before drifting into the enveloping blackness was Ikkaku shouting "Captain! Murasaki-sama! Someone – go call 4th squad!"

* * *

Notora opened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. She looked down to see that her arms were bandaged and rested on the white sheet that covered her. A smell of disinfectant hit her nose as she registered that she was aching all over. In her groggy state she assumed that this must be the infirmary.

"You awake?" She turned her head to her left and saw that the source of the voice was Captain Zaraki. He was in the next bed, similarly bandaged and with his hair let down instead of being in the usual spikes. "Is it still Tuesday or did I sleep for a whole day?" "Still Tuesday but it's almost midnight. I've been awake for about an hour but it seemed like you needed a longer beauty sleep." Notora said nothing as she looked at him. The soft light created shadows under his prominent cheekbones and his black hair made him blend into the darkness. For anyone else it may have been an intimidating sight but for her, even after that battle, it was reassuring. She couldn't understand why.

When she didn't reply Kenpachi continued talking. "That was one hell of a fight. Where did you learn to fight like that?" Notora sighed and answered. "I arrived at the 80th discrict of Rukongai, Zaraki, as a little girl. It wasn't easy living there, as you should know. I lived by stealing food. As I started getting older my main priority became not to find food but to not get raped. I used to spend hours making myself stronger. I had to fight strong men, I had no other option. Once I watched a sword fight and when the victor left I stole the dead man's weapon. It was a cheap sword but it was sharp. That was all I needed. I started fighting using the sword. I found that I was a good fighter. Later on I discovered I had spirit power. A couple of days after I realised that I was confronted for a fight but before it started a Shinigami appeared out of nowhere. She picked me up, sword and all and took me away with shunpo. Once we had reached a safe distance she told me she was Lieutenant Matsumoto. She told me that she had been in the vicinity for a couple of days and that she had felt a strong reiatsu which led her straight to me. She told me that I was strong enough to become a Shinigami if I wanted. I realised that it would get me out of Rukongai and that it would give me something worthwhile to do with my life. I joined the academy and now I'm here. I owe Rangiku-san everything. She has been my friend ever since. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her." Kenpachi was stunned. He didn't know she was from the same district as he was. She had such an air of finesse and pride in the way she walked and talked that he had thought she was from the higher districts of Rukongai. Hell, she could even pass for a member of one of the less-known noble families. "So you're from Zaraki as well. So many people die uselessly there but for us it worked in the opposite way. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, that's how it seems to be with us." It was Notora's turn to look stunned; she hadn't expected Kenpachi to be all philosophical. But before she could reply, a 4th squad nurse arrived. "What are you two doing up? Do you even know how serious your injuries were? You hardly had any blood left in your bodies. Why did you do that during training? Now go back to sleep and rest or else you'll prolong your stay here."

* * *

"There are our energetic warriors," said a soft voice. "Good morning Captain Unohana," greeted the other two in unison which sounded like the well-practiced greeting of a class of five-year olds. "You two have been very reckless, sustaining all those injuries just during training or friendly sparring, call it whatever you want." Kenpachi and Notora looked down. Notora was amazed to see her captain so submissive in the presence of Unohana. However she had to agree that even though Unohana was smiling and speaking softly, she gave off certain vibes that could make even the dumbest idiot realise that she could stand no nonsense and expected her commands to be obeyed. "You will stay here till Friday. No walking around except for going to the bathroom," said the captain of the 4th squad. "And I will accept no complaints," she added as Kenpachi opened his mouth to protest, "I will go now, you have a visitor." "Ken-chan!" shouted Yachiru as she hopped onto his bed, "hi No-No. You worried me guys. I brought you some chocolate."

* * *

As much as Kenpachi and Notora hated staying in bed, the days passed quickly. Yachiru and other friends came over to visit and then they spent the rest of the time talking. "If you started fighting as a self-defence, why do you like it so much?" asked Kenpachi once. "Fighting makes me feel in control – makes me feel that I have a say in how my life progresses. What about you?" "I'm strong. Fighting is possibly the only thing I'm good at. What else is there to do?" Time passed quickly as they got to know each other a bit better, so on Saturday morning Kenpachi found it strange to wake up alone in his own bed with nobody to pester until Yachiru came over so that they could both go have breakfast. He had grown fond of the Purple Tiger as he started to call her in his head once he realised that that was what her full name meant. Yet this fondness was different than that he felt for Yachiru. Was it possible that he was developing feeli…? "Nah, I'm just not used to having a woman in the squad, nothing else," he said to himself. Little did he know that when Notora awoke she missed his usual 'You awake?' with which he always greeted her since he always woke up a little before she did.

* * *

Saturdays also had training but everyone was more laid back about it than the rest of the week. Once everyone had gathered, Ikkaku called for everyone's attention. "Since we haven't properly welcomed 4th seat Murasaki-sama into the squad and now that both she and the Captain are out of the infirmary, tonight we will be going for a few drinks at the 'Blades and Beers' pub. Everybody's welcome."

When evening came, it seemed that at least half the squad had accepted the invitation. It was a good thing that the whole pub was booked for them. Drinks were constantly being passed round. Toasts had turned from typical ones such as "For a long collaboration with our 4th seat Murasaki Notora" (Ikkaku) and "To Notora-sama who knows how to enjoy a fight" (Kenpachi) to more and more ridiculous ones such as "To pretty little butterflies who fly around all day" (Yumichika, who was quite hilarious when drunk). Kenpachi and Notora were constantly catching each other's eyes in between shots and laughs.

* * *

Notora suddenly noticed she was in one of the pub's private rooms, straddling Kenpachi with her kimono open. One of his hands was at her back while the other was tangled in her hair. How on earth did she end up here? Why the hell didn't she remember what happened between the time Yumichika fell asleep on the table to this very second? Her mind continued to clear and she realised that she was still making out with Kenpachi. She pulled away and gathered her thoughts. "Huh, what's wrong?" asked Kenpachi. "What the…why are we here? How did we get here?" started to panic Notora as she stood up and stepped back. She never did anything like this. Whenever she was with somebody she was always sane so as not to do anything she would regret later. "What? Don't you remember? I asked you if you wanted a bit of quiet and you agreed. I guess things kind of escalated from there. Don't tell me you didn't know what was happening? Shit." Notora started tying her haori back in place "I can't do this. Don't get me wrong. I _am_ attracted to you even though it's too early to say that. But I just can't dive into things like this. Things should have meaning." "Can't we just have this night and then worry about it later?" said Kenpachi, his brain still foggy. "I'm leaving. You're drunk too. Go get some sleep." She left the room and noticed that the pub was nearly empty save for a few squad members passed out on the chairs. 'Good' she thought. At least nobody would witness her walk of shame. She sped home wondering when she had become so stupid.

* * *

"Shit. Shit shit fuck." Kenpachi woke up at noon on Sunday only to be welcomed to the post-drinking ritual called hangover. It felt as if somebody was trying to saw his head open. The events of the previous night started to come back to him. He fought the impulse to punch his fist through the wall at the idea that he had already screwed up the friendship he had seemed to be building with his subordinate. 'Can't we just have this night and then worry about it later?'…how could he have said that? Sure he was never one to bother with manners but he never said anything like that. Thank God that at least she had returned to her senses before anything else happened between them. He realised that this woman was nothing like the many one-night stands he had had before.

In her room, Notora was in a similar situation. "Notora, you idiot," she told herself after she finished barfing for the second time in 10 minutes. The memory gap she had the night before had slowly started to be filled in little by little. She remembered that they were the only two still awake at the table they had occupied since entering the pub. She remembered giggling at some dirty joke Kenpachi had said and leaning her head against his shoulder. Then Kenpachi suggesting moving to a quieter place and both had collapsed on the sofa of the private room. They drank a bit more, laughing and continually teasing each other until Kenpachi silently stroked her face and leaned over to kiss her. It was then that she had decided to sit on his lap for better access to his lips as he tugged at the obi round her waist. What would have happened if she hadn't regained some form of clarity at the moment she did? She then realised that she had admitted to being attracted to him. "Crap"…this was going to make having a professional relationship a bit difficult.

* * *

"NO-NO!" "Ugh Yachiru-chan please don't shout. I still feel like crap. The shower, headache pills and lemon tea haven't helped at all," pleaded Notora. "You adults are idiots," complained Yachiru, "half the squad is hung-over and the rest are having fun taunting them. You look like you haven't slept in days and Ken-chan not only has a headache but is in a terrible mood. He won't tell me what happened except that he screwed everything up." "He said that?" asked Notora, surprised. "Why? Do you know something? What happened No-No?" asked Yachiru with a hint of worry in her voice. "Oh, I don't know," lied Notora even though she hated lying. "No-No?" asked Yachiru again, "why do you have a bruise on your neck?" It was Notora's turn to shout. "WHAT?" She ran to the mirror and through the daze she felt due to the sudden movement she could see that she had a hickey on the left side of her neck. She was going to need a scarf to cover that…or else ask Rangiku for some good cover-up make-up. Still…how was she going to explain it to her little friend? "Um, I don't know" she lied again, "'it must be a bruise from Tuesday's fight or yesterday's training." "Hmm," said Yachiru unconvinced, "I'm going for now. See you when you're feeling a bit better."

* * *

Notora went into the 10th squad barracks, walked to her best friend's room and knocked on the door. "Come in" she heard Rangiku's voice say. "Good afternoon, Purple" continued the blonde chirpily as Notora entered the room. "It is afternoon but I can assure you it's not good," replied Notora as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Since when do you wear scarfs?" asked Rangiku. "Since this afternoon," replied Notora as she tugged the thing off to reveal her neck. "Have you got anything to cover this?" she asked as she pointed to the bruise. "Oh my! You had a wild night. Who's the culprit?" said Rangiku as she opened a drawer and fished out a tube of concealer. "You don't want to know." "Oh come on, it's not like you made out with Kenpachi or something." Notora winced and Rangiku didn't miss it. "Oh. My. God. That _is_ what you did! How does that even happen? Do you like him?" "No. Yes. I don't know!" said Notora before she told Rangiku the events of the previous night. "Wow that is just…insane. What are you going to do now?" "I guess I'll just wait a bit and then I have to talk to him or something. We have to clear everything. But not today. I can hardly think."

* * *

Mondays typically started with the Captains' and Lieutenants' meetings so training took place in the afternoon. Hoping that the dojo would be empty, Notora went there on Monday morning, with the intention of working out alone to help her clear the frustration and confusion present in her head. Yet when she arrived at the combat hall she felt a certain lack of motivation and ended up sitting down on the floor sulking. "Ahh fuck this," she said after a while and started to stand up. Suddenly a familiar jagged sword appeared in her field of vision, "Wanna fight it out?" She looked up to her side to see Kenpachi there. "Aren't you supposed to be at a meeting?" asked Notora. "Eh, we were let off early. I ask you again, wanna fight?" "I'm not fighting against you with a sharp object in a while. I don't need another four days in bed," she replied as she went to the equipment cupboard and took out two blunt wooden swords. "Here use this," she said and threw one of the swords at Kenpachi. "Seriously? These don't cut. What's the fun?" complained Kenpachi. "Just use brute force. I don't feel like being cut today," Notora replied. "Won't you be at a disadvantage against me in a battle of brute force?" "Don't underestimate me," Notora said as she swiped at Kenpachi, making him react quickly in defence. "Hm you're not all talk," he said. They continued sparring without talking, only the clangs of swords hitting each other breaking the silence. Finally, Kenpachi swung his sword sideways against Notora's sword, making it fly from her hands. Refusing to lose without a final attack, she stepped to the side, swung on her foot and delivered a strong kick on Kenpachi's wrist. The strong and unexpected attack made Kenpachi let go of the sword, which hit the floor and rolled away. "Now we're both without swords," stated the obvious Kenpachi as he flopped down on the floor. Having nothing else to do, Notora sat down as well. "I wanted to apologize for my behaviour on Saturday," said Kenpachi, "I should have realised you were drunk out of your mind and I shouldn't have said those things." "No need to apologize," replied Notora who was surprised with his apology, "I shouldn't have gotten so drunk in the first place." "Murasaki…if we had the opportunity to do that again without being drunk, would you do it?" Notora looked at him and considered his question. "Possibly. It depends what it meant though. I've had a couple of one night stands. They're not the thing for me. I always feel useless afterwards, like I've lost a piece of my pride. But if it meant something more, then why not?" They looked at each other in silence once more. 'When was the last time I had a ''something more''?' thought Kenpachi, 'I can't even remember. Is it what I want with her?...I think it is.' "Then let's wipe the slate clean," he said out loud. He stood up and motioned for Notora to do the same. "I am Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th squad. And you are?" "Notora Murasaki, 4th seat of the 11th squad. Pleased to meet you," she said as she held out her right hand. Kenpachi took it in a strong hold and the two shook hands.

* * *

The next weeks were quite uneventful. Kenpachi and Notora met almost every evening to talk or simply sit in silence. They put their drunken passion behind them and decided that for now the only intimacy would be chaste kisses and holding each other to give them time to get to know each other better. The arrangement suited both of them since both were used to being independent and solitary so any form of relationship needed some adjustment. So far only Yachiru knew about their meetings since it was nearly impossible to hide it from her, especially since she and Notora were sharing the same room. She had been sworn to secrecy since Kenpachi and Notora did not want any gossip.

Exactly two months after their drunken incident, they were in Kenpachi's room eating strawberries dipped in molten chocolate. They were sitting on a white fluffy carpet with the food bowls on the floor. The carpet was so not Kenpachi's style that the first time Notora set foot in the room she had to ask him about it. He said that it was something Yachiru had made him buy although he had to admit that it was comfortable. Once they finished the strawberries they resorted to eating the remaining chocolate by dipping their fingers and licking the chocolate off, laughing at each other's attempts at not making a complete mess. Finally Kenpachi decided to make the first move. Once Notora was distracted, he dipped the tip of his thumb in the fondue and with it touched her lips, coating the centre of her lips with chocolate. She looked at him and he pulled her close for a kiss. There was nothing chaste about the kiss but it was nothing like their drunken one. It was passionate and powerful but controlled and meaningful. Feeling bold as well, Notora unravelled Kenpachi's obi and tugged at the straps holding his hakama. Kenpachi broke away from the kiss and asked "You sure about this?" "My mind's never been clearer," was the reply.

* * *

The first thing Notora saw when she opened her eyes in the morning was Kenpachi still sleeping. 'Well that's a first,' she thought. A smile broke out on her face at the memory of the previous night. She padded into the bathroom to wash her face. When she was done she looked at herself in the full length mirror. She had two large bruises on her hips from where Kenpachi had held her a little bit too tightly. Still, she didn't mind and she knew that Kenpachi had ended up with a few nail marks on his arms. She went out of the room to find Kenpachi sitting down with an expression on his face that seemed to ask why he had been sleeping on the floor. "Good morning," said Notora to get his attention. Memory sparked in his eyes; he grinned, stood up, walked over to her and swooped her into his arms for a good morning kiss. "It is indeed a good morning," he replied.

* * *

*** Two Years Later ***

There hadn't been a wedding in Sereitei for ages and everybody was excited and in a good mood especially since the 11th squad captain was the groom. The relationship between Kenpachi and Notora had been known for a long time as soon after their first night together they had decided to let go of all secrecy and let people gossip all they want. The news that the two were getting married had taken everyone by surprise though. Kenpachi had proposed when they were alone. It was something simple – just a rose, a ring and a couple of awkward sentences when they were walking along the beach one night but it was Notora could ask for since she was a fan of simplicity herself.

Everybody who attended the wedding ceremony said that they had never seen Kenpachi as happy as when the couple said their vows. He was even happier than when he was fighting. Notora was simply glowing. She had finally found the love she never thought she would find. Once they greeted all their friends at the small wedding reception, they looked at each other, knowing well that tonight was the start of a new long life together.

~~ The End~~

* * *

**Well...I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :) I'd love to see comments and reviews. Sorry if the ending is a bit rushed but conclusions aren't my strong point. Thanks for reading :))**


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